Elsevier supports the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ 2019 Imperial Barrel Award program

NEW YORK -- Elsevier, the global information analytics business specializing in science and health, will be one of five Diamond Sponsors of the 2019 Imperial Barrel Award (IBA), an annual prospective basin evaluation competition for geoscience graduate students worldwide, jointly managed by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and the AAPG Foundation. Through this sponsorship, Elsevier endeavors to help the next generation of geoscientists be digitally savvy and accelerate the growth of their geoscience knowledge, preparing them for a future in an evolving industry that is increasingly adopting digital exploration tools.

The American Geosciences Institute’s Status of the Geoscience Workforce 2018 notes that “over the past five years, recent geoscience graduate hiring has evolved with the economic changes that have impacted geoscience industries….” Further, “new innovations and technology are beginning to be employed to help cover the shortage of 118,000 full-time equivalent jobs over the next decade.”

“Training and equipping future petroleum geoscientists is one of AAPG’s principal missions, and the Imperial Barrel Award competition is recognized globally by the petroleum industry as a formative experience for the next generation of explorers,” said AAPG Executive Director David Curtiss.

Besides being an exciting learning experience, IBA also provides budding geoscientists with an opportunity to showcase their skills to the best in the oil and gas industry. With Geofacets, a digital geoscience information solution from Elsevier, geoscientists are empowered with data and analytics that exploration geoscientists in some of the largest global oil and gas companies use to make faster and more confident exploration decisions.

“The oil and gas industry is evolving rapidly in the face of digitalization and as a result, the need for future employees to evolve and adapt to sophisticated digital tools and technologies has never been greater,” said Sumita Singh, managing director for reference solutions, Elsevier. “To support new graduates who are entering the industry, to have an impact from the start, it is essential that they are trained on the same tools that industry professionals use on a daily basis.

“Learning how to use these digital information and analytics tools not only benefits the next generation of industry professionals, but also improves outcomes for Oil & Gas companies. We are proud to support AAPG’s efforts in promoting geoscience education and training as one of the five IBA Diamond Sponsors.”